Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
The waiver wire can be a goldmine for fantasy baseball players who are looking to boost their pitching stats. On most days, there is sure to be a starter (or three) just waiting to be scooped up who can help lead a fantasy team to glory. In today’s slice of fantasy advice, let’s take a look at some hurlers who should be in for a strong day on the hill on Aug. 12, and are quite possibly available on a waiver wire near you.
(Ownership percentages based off ESPN standard leagues)
*All stats current through 7:00 p.m. Monday
Dan Haren: Los Angeles Dodgers (65.9 percent)
After suffering through a horrific five game stretch which saw this veteran go 0-5 with a startling 10.13 ERA, Haren managed to put the pieces back together and thoroughly dominate a potent Los Angeles Angels offense in his last outing. Considering he had actually posted a respectable 3.58 ERA on the season before that disastrous span of games, there’s no reason to believe he isn’t capable of finishing the season strong.
Haren will go for his second consecutive quality outing on Tuesday when the Dodgers take on the offensively challenged Atlanta Braves. The Braves rank just 28th in the league in runs per game this season, and have seen the wheels really fall off of late. To go along with a dreadful 2-9 record over their last 11 games, Atlanta has generated a measly 2.64 runs per contest over that span.
Collin McHugh: Houston Astros (17.6 percent)
With a 3.18 ERA and impressive .204 batting average against, it’s surprising to see that this youngster owns an ugly 4-9 record on the season. Those are the breaks when you pitch for a terrible team, however, and the wins will continue to be tough to come by down the stretch. That doesn’t mean McHugh can’t help fantasy teams, however, and when you factor in his outstanding 10.15 K’s per nine innings, it should be a crime that he’s still owned in so few leagues.
The Astros will host the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, and McHugh should have a decent shot at getting win No. 5 under his belt. The Twins have found the going to be quite rough since the All-Star break, as they’ve posted a terrible 8-14 record and have scored four runs or fewer in 16 of those contests. To make the matchup even more enticing, the Twinkies are striking out at a 21.4 percent clip vs. right-handed pitching, the seventh highest mark in baseball.
Ryan Vogelsong: San Francisco Giants (13.7 percent)
This veteran has been in a pretty nice groove on the mound of late, as he’s posted a very solid 2.80 ERA over his last eight outings. Though a lack of offensive support has caused him to lose five of those games, Vogelsong has managed to win each of his last two starts by holding each opponent to just one run apiece. I have a feeling he makes it three W’s in a row coming up.
The Giants will host the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday. Though the Sox put out a pretty potent lineup, that hasn’t amounted to very much offense recently. Chicago has now lost seven of their last nine games, and much of that has to do with the team scoring just 2.56 runs per contest over that span. Considering Vogelsong has been far more dominant at pitcher-friendly AT&T Park this season, I doubt the Sox get their offense back on track in this one.
Brian Davis is a fantasy writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @SportsGuyBrian, ”Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.
